New research reveals troubling patterns in stillbirth rates across American communities, with significant variations linked to the racial composition of neighborhoods. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed nearly 2.8 million births between 2016 and 2022, identifying higher stillbirth rates than previously reported by federal health authorities.Researchers from Harvard found that stillbirth rates varied substantially based on the proportion of Black versus White residents living in a given ZIP code. This geographic disparity points to structural factors that disproportionately affect minority communities, beyond individual clinical risk factors alone.The overall stillbirth rate stood at 6.8 per…
Author: Disparity Matters
A comprehensive study examining over 71,000 neighborhoods across America reveals how structural racism creates profound inequities in cardiovascular health. Researchers found that communities experiencing the highest levels of structural racism showed dramatically elevated rates of heart disease risk factors compared to those with the lowest levels. The study measured structural racism through nine interconnected domains including housing, education, employment, criminal justice, and wealth. Neighborhoods in the highest quintile of structural racism had 80% higher rates of diabetes and 40% higher rates of obesity compared to those in the lowest quintile. Stroke prevalence was 99% higher in communities most affected by…
A new study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health reveals a troubling connection between structural racism and increased rates of heart disease, even as the agency itself faces criticism for downplaying such research. Published in JAMA Health Forum, the study found that neighborhoods with high levels of structural racism—measured through factors like education, housing, employment, and poverty—had significantly higher rates of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. “The people who live in that neighborhood, regardless of their race, are experiencing those outcomes,” said co-author Zachary Dyer. His index shows that living in areas shaped by racialized policies can negatively…
A new study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health reveals a troubling connection between structural racism and increased rates of heart disease, even as the agency itself faces criticism for downplaying such research. Published in JAMA Health Forum, the study found that neighborhoods with high levels of structural racism—measured through factors like education, housing, employment, and poverty—had significantly higher rates of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.“The people who live in that neighborhood, regardless of their race, are experiencing those outcomes,” said co-author Zachary Dyer. His index shows that living in areas shaped by racialized policies can negatively affect…
African Americans face pronounced disparities in multiple myeloma care, from diagnosis through treatment access. Despite being roughly 20% of those living with this blood cancer, Black patients made up only 4% of participants in drug approval trials submitted to the FDA, according to a 2022 analysis.The consequences are severe. Black and Hispanic patients receive the newest therapies less frequently than white patients and typically access them later in their disease progression. On average, patients visit their primary doctor three times before accurate diagnosis, with even longer delays for Black Americans. During this time, the disease causes fractures, severe anemia, and…
New research reveals troubling racial disparities in gout care across America, with minority patients receiving less effective treatment despite facing higher disease burdens. The findings emerged from studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology’s 2025 annual meeting and related research tracking gout prevalence nationwide. Dr. Irene Tan of Einstein Healthcare Network examined real-world treatment patterns over a decade, comparing 359,020 minority patients with an equal number of white patients. Her team found that minority adults were less likely to receive allopurinol, the guideline-preferred medication for lowering uric acid levels. Instead, these patients more frequently received febuxostat and multiple acute…
Financial barriers, not biological differences, explain why Black women freeze their eggs at significantly lower rates than white women, according to research presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in San Antonio.The study examined over 4,000 patients who sought egg freezing consultations at a Massachusetts fertility clinic over a decade. While 80 percent of white patients proceeded with the procedure, only half of Black patients did. However, this racial gap disappeared after researchers accounted for insurance coverage differences.Fertility preservation coverage emerged as the most powerful predictor of whether women would freeze their eggs. Patients with any insurance…
In Hamden, Connecticut, Dr. Monique Rainford is reimagining maternal care to confront racial disparities that have long plagued the U.S. health system. Her clinic, Enrich Health, opened in June with a mission to improve outcomes for Black mothers and babies, who face significantly higher risks during pregnancy.“The traditional system was not designed for hundreds of thousands of women in America,” Rainford said. “That is part of why disparities are not going away.”Black women in the U.S. are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women. Even with higher education and income, they experience worse…
Across the United States, Asian women are grappling with a little-known health crisis: high rates of lung cancer despite never having smoked. At the forefront of addressing this concern is the Mount Sinai Health System’s Asian Thoracic Surgery Program, which has taken on a new mission to diagnose, treat, and investigate a phenomenon officially termed never-smoking lung cancer. This disease disproportionately impacts Asian women, creating unsettling racial and ethnic health disparities that are only starting to receive national attention. Researchers and clinicians at Mount Sinai report that their teams are encountering more cases of never-smoking lung cancer among Asian women…
A powerful series by journalist Anissa Durham, titled “On Borrowed Time,” exposes the systemic barriers Black Americans face in accessing organ transplants. Through deeply reported stories, the series reveals how racism, outdated medical practices, and policy decisions have created life-threatening disparities. One article, “Is the Patient Black? Check this Box for Yes,” highlights how a race-based medical calculation long used by doctors prevented Black patients from qualifying for kidney transplants. This flawed formula, which factored race into kidney function estimates, effectively delayed or denied access to care for countless Black individuals. In “The Cruelest Kind of Heartbreak,” Durham reports that…